Concept
and Scientific Direction:
The exhibition Constructive Provocation was developed based
on the initiative of Marie-Hélène Contal, deputy director
and curator of La Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine,
and prepared and produced in collaboration with the Vorarlberger Architekturinstitut.
The architecture theorist Otto Kapfinger and the curator Marie-Hélène
Contal are responsible for the scientific direction and concept of
the project. Since its opening in the summer of 2003, the French version
has already been scheduled for eighteen venues in that country to
date.

Constructive Provocation is an exhibition on
new architecture in Vorarlberg. The German-language version will be
premiering at the KUB Arena of the Kunsthaus Bregenz. The KUB Arena
was launched by the Kunsthaus Bregenz as a platform for art and communication
in 2003. It is run in conjunction with the KUB partners Montfort-Werbung
and DMG. Located in the entrance foyer of the Kunsthaus, the KUB Arena
defines itself as a space for dialogue, as a basis for exploration,
where educational work can take place and be made formally and thematically
visible.

In order to best bring out the qualities of the existing exhibition
system of modules designed by Reinhard Gassner in an area setting,
three Vorarlberg architecture firms were invited to participate in
a small-scale idea competition: cukrowicz.nachbaur, Philip Lutz, and
Marte.Marte Architekten. The participants were asked to address the
themes of the exhibition and the specific site of the Kunsthaus and
to reflect on the thematic type of discourse. The architectural solution
of the winning project by Marte.Marte Architekten adds two notable
aspects to the exhibition concept: an original truck tractor as a
symbol of setting out for new horizons and making room for the new
and an illuminated ceiling that defines a variable space for the wide-ranging
cultural and educational offerings. The program of accompanying events
was developed by Kunsthaus Bregenz in collaboration with the Vorarlberger
Architekturinstitut (vai) and Robert Fabach (architect and architecture
journalist). For the duration of the exhibition, issues on Vorarlberg
architecture will be discussed in a broad cultural context at a lecture
series held every Tuesday evening. A recording of the individual talks
will accompany the exhibition to its subsequent venues. As a supplement
to the educational events in the KUB Arena, two excursions will also
be offered which will take visitors to the different sites and explain
the selected architectures from various perspectives.

The
Exhibition
Vorarlberg is regarded as a center of contemporary architecture in
Europe. Although the problems here differ little from those in neighboring
countries (urban sprawl, radical economic and social change, gradually
increasing disintegration of social and cultural structures), in recent
decades it has proved possible to avoid a downgrading of architecture
policy in the name of short-term economic interests. As a consequence,
new architecture that is ecologically sustainable and innovative in
both technological and design terms still remains a valid maxim between
Lake Constance and the Arlberg.

The movement began in the 1960s with a relatively small network
of intellectuals who formulated alternatives to the local ways of
life and also really lived these alternatives. Their conceptually
radical timber buildings followed the principle of intensive participation
by the client during the planning and construction process. Together
with daring clients and talented craftsmen, the Vorarlberg architects
worked hard to breathe fresh air into a quotidian architecture.
Despite considerable local resistance, this approach soon gained
widespread acceptance throughout the region. The next generation
of regional architects to come out of this movement achieved international
recognition as the "Vorarlberger Baukünstler." By
the end of the 80s, these young architects had won several architecture
competitions - most of them for large public building commissions.
With the pivotal shift from an alternative architecture scene to
a modern influential culture, the Baukünstler were able to
make the decisive step out of the domestic house and housing estate
genre. This was also the beginning of a growing and dynamic architecture
scene that brought forth an increasing local density of high-quality
buildings.

The exhibition Constructive Provocation makes the directly
experiencable density of contemporary architecture in Vorarlberg
clearly visible and examines the origins of this development. It
describes architecture as an element within a living building heritage
with all its various technical, design, social, ecological, and
craft-related aspects. Rather than focusing on the works of specific
architects and explaining individual buildings using models and
plans, the exhibition tells the story of the beginnings and the
growth of a broad movement that infused an architecture with an
added quality of life for both individuals and society. This architecture's
greatest potential comes from the interaction between the living
spaces of nature, work, home, and public life. Opportunities for
new cultural development can be seen in the exemplary cooperation
of different people, institutions, and interest groups.

The
Thematic Gateways of "Constructive Provocation"
The exhibition consists of a series of thematic gateways that reflect
the intricacy of the development and make its effects clearly visible.They
are ostensibly simple, but upon closer examination reveal a high level
of complexity in terms of spatial effect, functionality, and execution.
These modules may be read on different levels, so that the visitor
can go from a general understanding to an in-depth study. The first
level consists of large-format photographs by Ignacio Martínez
on the front of the modules; explanatory texts provide brief information
on the module's specific theme. A second level consists of display
drawers that can be pulled out and pull-down wall elements that reveal
further details and depict related architectures.

The following thematic gateways lead through the topography of Vorarlberg
society, through a network of protagonists and events: Radicalness
of Cornerstones describes the pioneer projects of the 60s. A small
group of committed clients, architects, and artists became active
independent of the universities. The first and second generation of
the Vorarlberg Bauschule (School of Architecture) was opposed to the
traditionalism and formalist regionalism of the post-war era. The
concepts of the maximization of minimal resources were a reaction
to the economic situation. With its Intelligence of Austerity,
simple, constructive modernity created spaces of functional and intellectual
abundance. Around 1980, a generation of architects came of age whose
objectives focused on social development. The motto Planning Together
- Building Together underscores this very economically oriented
approach to an ecologically functional architecture that calls for
a cost-efficient allocation of work to the future residents and the
cooperative running of communal spaces.

After the school building boom of the 50s, the next wave of new
schools and extensions of existing buildings began in the late 80s.
In this category of primary places of experience - Places for
Play, Spaces for Learning - four dozen such buildings have sprung
up in Vorarlberg since then. The image of Nature as a World of
Experience and historic towns is the basic capital of the tourist
industry. Far removed from alpine kitsch or flashy designer knickknacks,
the Bregenzerwald and Arlberg show a new awareness of nature and
different alternatives to stereotypical mass tourism. For Modernity
of Ecology, the initiatives of the Baukünstler were the
role models. Since 1990, the Vorarlberg Energieinstitut has made
environmentally sound building a political issue in the region.
In the age of globalization, communities and companies began to
foster a Culture of Cooperation. The long abandoned textile
mills embedded within provincial structures became centers with
new cultural, social, and commercial uses. Desolate areas were converted
into postindustrial ensembles. The theme New Craftsmanship, New
Industry reflects a recent development that saw countless woodworking
businesses setting up shop in Vorarlberg: light-flooded production
halls with spacious offices and communal rooms, experimental constructions
with an excellent output in terms of energy and ecology. Lustenau's
"Millenniumspark" is one example of the Texture of
the Periphery. This high-tech complex on the periphery of town
is an interface of housing agglomeration and nature. It is embedded
in an attractive green zone, is docked into the public transportation
network that connects the federal states, and was planned with a
holistic approach by the community and private companies. Essential
to the Quality of Living Space is the establishment of an
extensive public transportation network. Launched in the late 80s,
the Dornbirn Stadtbus (city bus) was followed by other city buses
and recently by the Landbus (country bus), which links various lines
into a complete network.
Just three decades ago, old timber buildings - remnants of a livestock
farming tradition - were torn down without a second thought. Today,
the Revitalization of Resources offers young architects new
challenges. In addition, it supplements and further develops the
skills of traditional trades with the help of new technologies.
Based on the trend of integrating new public, cultural, and social
uses into old town centers, a Primary Urbanity has developed. It
all started in the late 80s in places like Klaus, Mäder, or
Schlins with a few parish and community halls, and in the 90s the
functional and architectural accentuation of the village core became
a trend throughout the region. In the early 90s, the new symbol
Architecture as the Pride of the People was built on the
steep slopes of the Pfänderhang. Glittering like pearls in
the midst of still intact farms is a string of dream houses with
a view of the lake.